Brake mechanism



June 13,b 1944. c. s. AsH

BRAKE MECHANISM Filed oct. 22, 1941 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 RAI June 13, 1944. C,s ASH 2,351,180

BRAKE MECHANISM Filed'Oct. 22, 1941 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 13, 1944. C, ASH 2,351,180

BRAKE MECHANISM Filed Oct. 22, 1941 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 O O /47 O l O Jr Q C O 7 7 l s" O 0 7// Z? I /45 il, 5 70- l1 MU 5 O i? r /47 0' /45 e H75" O I 1u 0 75 O V67 O O /43 I /40 Ow O l vENToR 'BY da ATTORNEYS June 13, 1944.

c. s. ASH Y BRAKE MECHANISM Filed oct. 22, 1941 6 Sheets-Shea?l 4 June 13, 1944. Q s, ASH 2,351,180

`BRAKE MECHANISM Filed Oct. 22. 1941 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 1N ENTOR ATToRm-:Ys`

June 13, 1944... c,'s ASH l 2,351,180

BRAKE MEcHANzsM Filed oct. 22, 1941 6 sheets-sheet e l w A /30 ll /q A 5 y i Q l f/ VE TOR communicating means of iluid service brakes for vclarity;

Ythe nula brakes shown in rig. s, oei-tain parte being broken away and certain other being PatentedJune 13, 1944 A UNITED! sini-'rss4 PATENT 'orifice 'I'he present invention relatesto dual wheel and brake assemblies and particularly those adapted for use 'with'automotive road vehicles.

Objects 'and advantages of the invention will be ,set forth in .part hereinafter and in part will beI obvious herefrom. or may -be learned'by practice with thein'vention, the same being realized and. attained by means of the instrumentalities' and combinations pointed out in the appended i The invention consists in the novel parts, constructions, arrangements, ,combinations and imlprovements herein shown and described.

The accompanying drawings, referred to herein and constituting a part hereof, illustrate one eml5 bodiment of the invention, and togetherwlth the i description, serve to explaintheprinciples oi the invention o OI the drawingsz" Fig. 1.1 is a section of the iluid brake control means taken along line II-Il oi Fig. 10;

Fig. 12 is a sectional view taken along line II-ll of Fig. 10; and

Fig. 13 is a plan view of the valve core for the uid brakeA control means.

'I'he present invention has for its object the provision of a novel and improved dual wheel assembly having improved braking means for the wheels. A further object is to, provide such awheel assembly in which the dual wheels are independently rotatable with braking means the action of which on the respective wheels is always equalized', and which is capable'oi exerting an' entirely suicient braking eflort.- upon the wheels of the largest and most heavily loaded wheel assembly with vabsolute reliability and a minimum of wear in the parts of the assembly. The invention provides iluid braking means for Fig. 111s a schematic view oi anillustrativeao the-wheels of an independently rotatable dual l embodiment of the present invention showing a `pair of side by side independently rotatable dual wheels, and the4 cooling, reservoir. controland the wheels: a

. Fig. 2 isa plan view of the uid brake cooling, i rservoirand control means shown in Fig. -1;

Fig. 3 is an axial sectional view of' anillustrat'lve yembodiment of the present invention taken along line I--I of Fig.. 4.showing a pair `of independently rotatable 4 dual wheelsy off the trailing type equippedg'mth. uuid service brakes and disc typefriction brakes;

, Fig. 4 is a side view'oi thedual wheel asseml wheel assembly wherein the braklngeiort forl 25 o! the, extent of use thereof. The invention Iurther provides braking means for vehicle` wheels which obviateentirely the problems of heat generation and dissipation attendant upon the use ot conventional i'riction brakes. The invention will lbe iound particularly useful when 'applied to vehiclesjl adapted to carry heavy loads such as j trucks, trailers and buses in providing ample, safe and eilicient brakes for the vehicle wheels which maybe utilized for braking down long grades my shown in Fig. a, certain. parts being broken 'ss without the punishinsand destroying wear and away and other parts'fbeingv omitted for greater Fig. 5 is an axial sectional view Vtaken along line 5-4 of Fig. 4; f

danger of failure which is attendant upon such use of conventional brakes. A further' object is to provide fluid brakes for vehicle wheels with cooling and control means for insuring the coi'- Fig. a transverse-'crm View. n rect operation 0f the brakes.

Fig. 8 is a side view of one oi.' the rotatable vand members of the iluid brake shown in Fig. 3, the view being Afrom the inside of the member;

shown .in cross section:

' Fig. 10 I is aiplan viewlnfgreateiridetail o! the another object oi the invention is to provide a dual wheel assembly having independently rotatable dual wheelswith auxiliary braking Lmeans for use with iluid service brakes, the auxiliary braking means exerting an independent and balanced braking eort upon the respective wheels.

As illustratively shown in theaccompanying drawings the invention is applied to a pair of independently rotatable side by side dual wheels.

gg The' wheels are lllustratively shown as nondirigible. non-driven wheels, but the invention is applicable to other\types oi' wheels. I

In accordance with the present invention a v l pairot independently rotatableI dual wheels are iliiid brakecontrolmeansshownin Figs- 1 anl2: mounted for rotation on thevehicle axle end.

One of the wheels is suitably mounted for rotation by means of an elongated hub upon the axle end, and the other wheel is mounted for free independent relative rotation upon the hub of the first wheel. Fluid braking means are provided for the dual wheels and these means comprise, generally, a pair of vaned members one attached to each wheel for rotation therewith and arranged on either side of a stationary vaned member anchored to the vehicle axle, the three vaned members forming a iluid tight casing enclosing the vanes. Inlet and outlet fluid ports are provided in the central, stationary vane carrying member, and the .vanes of that member are so constructed and combined with a baille plate that fluid entering the inlet port and seeking the outlet port by reason of pressure diierence and circulation is required to enter the rotatable vaned members on either side and contact the moving vanes before returning to the central member and the outlet port. Between the outlet and inletl ports the uid is circulated by suitable conduits through a radiator for the dissipation of heat generated in the vaned chamber during application of the brakes and through a reservoir to provide for an available and instantaneous supply of fluid for the brakes, and control means for the brakes are provided between the reservoir and the inlet port. These control means comprise valve means to restrict or permit the ow of fluid into the vaned chamber, and valve means for selectively connecting freev air and vacuum to various parts of the 'fluid circulating system to rapidly fill and rexhaust the vaned chamber and to control the flow of iiuid in the circulating system.

Auxiliary friction brakes areprovided for the wheels in addition to the iiuid brakes, and these brakes comprise a pair of fiat annular brake shoe rings which are anchored to the vehicle axle and each of which is movable into and out of frictional engagement with a respective rotating vaned member, those members being provided with finished outer surfaces for this purpose.

It will be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description aswell are exemplary and explanatory of the in- 'vention but are not restrictive thereof.

Referring now in detail to the embodiment of the invention illustratively shown in the accompanying drawlngs,'the invention is shown as applied to a set of independently rotatable nondriven or trailing dual wheels. The outerwheel .20 is provided with an integral hub portion 2| (Fig. 3) which extends inwardly for a considerable distance and is mounted for rotation with respect to the axle 22 by. means of bearings 23, 24. The outer portion of the hub 2|l is cylindricaly and forms a bearing surface for the bushings 25, 25which are seated in theinterior -of the cylindrical outer hub 29, atthe inner end of which is theintegral inner wheel 29.4 Thrust bearings 30, 3| are provided to take the thrust load betweenthe inner and outer wheels 20, 29 while their independent rotation is permitted by the bushings 25, 26. i

' Each of the wheels 20 and 29 is provided with a suitable. tire mounting rim 33 secured to its respective wheel in any desired manner. The inner wheel 29 is maintained in its proper axial relation with respect to the outer wheel 29 by means of a disc-like flange or plate 34 bolted to the inner end of the inner hub 2| by means of cap screws 35.

The nula brakes for the wheels zo, 2s as uiustratively shown in the drawings are located on the inner side of the inner wheel 29, and comprise a pair of rotatable vaned members indicated generally with the numerals 40 and 4| and a stationary vaned member indicated generally as 42 (Figs. 3 and 5).

The rotatable vaned member 4u is formed with an outer cylindrical surface 45 and an inner coaxial 'cylindrical surface 45 of lesser diameter and these cylindrical surfaces are jointed by an integral flat annular ring 41, the outer surface of which is finished to form the drum portion of a friction brake as hereinafter described. The vaned member 4|) is mounted for coaxial rotation with the outer Wheel 20 by means of an integral outwardly extending peripheral flange 48 which receives stud bolts 49 passing thiollgh the enlarged peripheral portion 59 of flange 34. As vmay be seen in Figs. 8 and 9, a plurality of curved vanes 52 extend axially inwardly from the annular plate portion 4l of the -vaned member 4U, and are supported and jointed at their inner edges by the narrow annular ring 53. The curved vanes 52 extend the radial width of the annular plate 4l, and half-length vanes 52 are alternately positioned between the full-length vanes 52, as shown in Fig. 8.

The rotatable vaned member 4| for the innerwheel is similar in construction to the member 40 just described-having a plurality ofA alternate full and half-length cupped vanes 60, $6 respectively, extending axially from the flat annular plate' 6| which joins the inner cylindrical portion 62 and the outer coaxial cylindrical portion 63 of greater diameter. The` latter cylindrical portion is formed at its outer end with a cylindrical extension 65 of slightly greater diameter than the cylindrical member 45 to surround and have a nuid tight slipping engagement with that member by means of a sealing ring 65 which is positioned in an annular groove in extension 54. A narrow annular ring 66 joins and 'supports the curved varies 60,50', and the vaned member 4| is mounted for coaxial rotation with the inner wheel 29 by means of bolts 6l which attach a radially extending annular ilange 68 of the vaned member to a cylindrical extension`69 of the inner wheel.

The stationary vaned member 42 of the fluid brakes is provided with inlet and outlet ports for the charging and exhausting of the brakes ,with iiuid, and is so constructed thatincoming fluid-is required to flow into the adjacent rotatable vaned members 40, 4| before it has access to the outlet port. The uid is thus forced into contact with the varies of those rotatable members and a retarding force upon their rotation is effected.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the stationary vaned member az is mounted on me vehicle axle zz by means of a triangular spider 10 which is anchored to the axle, and the armsy 1l of which carry integral axially extending rectangular bars '|2 which 22, but axial movement upon the spider 'III is permitted.

As may be seen in Fig. 6, a plurality of radially extending inner varies 80 are mounted on the annular base portion I6 of member 42, and these vanes at their upper ends me'et and are integral with an annular baille plate 8| of V-cross section (Fig, 5), which supports the radially extending outer'vanes 82. The baille plate 8| is formed with a pair or flat annular rings 83 extending thus held against rotation with respect no the axle radially from 'either edge and these rings face with the lannular rings 88 and. 88 oi the rotating wheel vaned members 48 and 4| respectively and serve to support and strengthen the outer vanes 82 of the stationary vaned memberv as well as `to properly space apart the respective vanes of the iiuid brake members 40, 4|, 42 and to take axial thrusts between those members should any occur. Such axialthrust is taken in the main by thrust bearings 80, 8| and ordinarily no thrust will be exerted between members 40', 4| and 42, but in case of looseness occurring in those bearings through wear the rings 88, 88 and 88 are available to protect the fluid braking unit from damage fand act as thrust bearings. A pair-oi' sealing rings 88 are positioned on the base portion 18 on' eitherside of the radially extending vanes 80, and these rings seat in annular grooves provided in the cylindrical walls 48, 82 of the: rotating vaned members 40, 4I' respectively, the three vaned members 40, 4|-, 42 thus forming a sealed annular uid chamber withthe vanes of the respective members enclosed therein.

The base portion 18 of the `stationary vaned member 42 is provided with a pair of fluid sumps 86, 81, the lower of these,`88, having an inlet port 88 for the introduction of braking iluid into the closed chamber containlngthe vanes. and the upper one, 81, having an outlet pori'. 88 for the return' of the brake iiuid to the cooling, reservoir, i

and control means hereinafter described. The sump 81 communicating with the outlet port 89- is walled oil by webs 80 from the lower vanes 80 oi the stationary member 42, sothat although uid may flow unobstructedly from inlet port 88 'beneath those vanes through triangular openings 82 provided at their bases, and toward the outlet port 89, it may not be discharged therethrough 3 free iiow of iluid there is impeded `by the vanes 82. The flow of the iluid thence is along Vbaille plate 8| through the triangular apertures at their bases and into the outlet sump 81. In the circulation ofthe nuid as has been described, which is due partly to the pumping action of the Huid brake unit and partly tothe pressure upon the incoming fluid in seeking an outlet, the momentum of the moving members and 4| is absorbed and the wheels 2|), 28 or the vehicle are accordingly braked.

Cooling, reservoir and control 'means are provided for the iiuid which is circulated through the iluid 'brakesfalready described, and as shown in Figs. 1 and' 2 these means comprise a radiator |00, a tank |0I for storage ot iluid, and a iluid control valve indicated generally with the numeral. |02. Fluid exhaust pipes |84 connect the outlet ports 88 of the brakes to the top of the radiator |00, and a check valve |08 is inserted in each line |04 to allow the exhaust oi the iluld from the brakes but not the return through these ',lines. The bottom ot the radiator |00 communi- ,cates with the topo! reservoir A|8| through pipe |06, and another check .valve |01 is inserted therein to prevent the backward now of fluid intoA the radiator. iReturn pipes |I0 conduct the iluid from the re'servoir\|0| to the inlet ports 88 of the uid brakes, and the control valve |82 4is positioned between the reservoir and these pipes to control the flow of uid in the brakes and circulating system as4 hereinafter described. The exhaust and return pipes |04 and |0 respectively are preferably air and iluid tight at their various joints without being deilected outwardly by baille plate l 8| into the adjoining rotating vaned members 40, I

4|, whence it may reach the outlet port. The outer vanes 82 `of the stationary member are likewise formed with apertures 88 at their bases to facilitate the iiow of iluid toward the upper sump 81 and the outlet port 88. It will be understood :g

that a wide variety of designs are possible within the scope o f the present invention for the construction of the various vanes and baille plates described for the vaned members 40, 4|, 42 of the uid brakes, and the circulation oi the fluid in and through the brakes. and thus the action of the brakes, will be dependent .to an extent` upon such design.

In the present design it may be seen that iluid introduced through inlet port 88 into iluid sumpl l 86 ofthe stationary or statormember 42 will flow along the base portion 18 through the triangular openings in the bottom o! vanes 80, some of the liquid,l if swiftly introduced, nowing axially outposition with respect to its casing I2.

. and termini to 'further the swift. dependable. and

stem I I9 with an operating handleJ I I8 with which the valve core ||8 maybe rotated to any desired .The valve core ||8 has a relatively large opening |20 in its cylindrical wall' which, when positioned over aperture I4 in the wall of the casing ||2 allows iluid communication from' the reservoir tank |0| through the control valve |02 and into return pipes |I0. A pair of arcuate channels |2|, |22 circumferentiallyspaced apart from each other are located in the horizontal upper.

surface of valve core ||8, and a vertical passage |23 in the cylindrical wall of the valve core comwardly from the stator member and into the moving or impeller members 48, 4|. When a substantial amount of iluld has been introduced this axial flow outwardly "and into contact with vanesv 52, of the impeller members will be general, due

tothe webs 90, and the ow of uid is therefore out of the stator and into the impeller members,

coming into contact with the moving cupped vanes of the latter. The impellers act as'a pump and give momentum to the iiuid thrown between their vanes, which momentum must be supplied by that of the moving impellers, and a braking enect on the latter is the result.- The centrifugal'force of the uid in escaping from under the baille plate- Fig. 12. A valve cap |28 is ilxed to the top oi' the casing H2, and in the cap are positioned the- 8I into the vaned impellers 80, 4| will be resolved into a ilow oi the duid back to the stator in its Vportion above the baille plateA 8|, and the municates with the latter channel. The passage` |23 has a port |28 to the outside of the valve core, directly beneath and spaced apart from 'which is. the relatively small opening |28 through Vthe vvalve core wall, so that when the core is turned topresent the openings |24 and |28to a depression |21 in the inner surface 'ofthe valve casing |I2, "channel |22, will be in communication with the inside of the valve. as shown in ends of the air pipes |80, |8|, |82 and |88 (Fig.

l). The` pipe |80, communicates with free airz'` pipe isi with the end or cheek vaivefin nearer the reservoir |0| pipe |82 with the top of radia-f tor |00; and pipe |88 communicates with a lultable source of vacuum which may be furnished by the power plant of the vehicle.

In operating the fluid vehicle brakes of the present invention the operating handle ||8 of the valve |02 will be associated with suitable members (not shown) to bring it conveniently under the control of the vvehicle driver. When the control handle I8 is in position A, as shown in Fig. l0, the opening |||i from the reservoir into valve |02 is closed by valve core ||5,vacuum pipe |33 is out of communication with any part of the circulating system, and pipes |30, i3! and |32 are in communication with each other through channel |22 and with the inside of the valve through passages |23, i2'i and. |25. In this position free air may circulate to all parts of the fluid brake system including the vaned chambers at the vehicle wheels, while entrance of fluid is prevented. The wheels are therefore free-running and unbraked, and whatever uid may be present in the vaned chambers at the wheels as a result of a previous operation of the brakes will be pumped out through exhaust lines |04 into radiator |00 and thence into reservoir tank |0|, check valves |05 and |01 preventing a reverse iiow of fluid. To apply the fluid brakes handle H8 is moved to position B (Fig. 10), which opens port lid to fluid from reservoir |0| andits path is unrestricted through lines ||0 into the vaned chambers at the brakes through inlet ports 8d. Passage |20 and opening |25 have passed beyond the depression |21 cutting oi the influx of air into valve |02, and lines |30 and |3| still have communication with each other through channel |22. Pipe |32 now communicates with vacuum pipe |33 through channel |2|, thus exhausting air from the brakes by applying vacuum to the top of radiator |00 and insuring rapid charging of the brakes.

Control handle H0 may now be advanced to position C, which places pipe |39 in communicationwith pipes |32 and vacuum pipe |33 through channel |2I. Vacuum is now applied on either side of check valve |01, so that the flow of fluid through the complete circulating system and the vaned brake chambers is uninterrupted and continuous.

When control handle H0 is moved to position D vacuum pipe |33 is closed ofi, and the circulation of uid through the closedsystem continues with a continuous pumping and braking action in the vaned chambers atthe wheels.

Auxiliary friction brakes are provided for the wheels to supplement the braking action of the fluid brakes and. for use as setting brakes when the vehicle is stopped. As shown in Fig. 5, a pair of fiat annular brake shoes |40, |4|, are mounted for axial and against rotary movement upon arms 1| of spider 10, the rectangular bars 12 being seated-in axial grooves. |42 provided in the inner periphery of each brake shoe. The brake shoes |40, |4| carry rictional brake lining |44 to engage the iinished outer surfaces of the fiat Aannular rings 41, 6l respectively.

ited to the specific mechanisms shown and described but departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the accompanying claims without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

What I claim is:

1. Fluid braking means for a set of independ- 'ently rotatable dual wheels including in combination a braking element associated for rotation with each wheel and means common to said ele. ments for retarding rotation. of said elements by fluid contact therewith.

2. Braking means for a set of independently rotatable dual Wheels including in combination a braking element associated for rotation with each wheel, means for retarding rotation of said elements by iiuid contact therewith, and other means for retarding rotation of saidelements by frictional contact therewith.

3. Fluid braking means for a set of independently rotatable dual wheels including in combination a brake element associated for rotation with each wheel, and means common to said elefluid into and out of the vaned chamber.

C-'shaped brake shoe connecting members |45 l ments for retarding rotation of said elements by iluid contact therewith, said means including a member held against rotation, said elements and said member forming a substantially fluid tight chamber.

4. Fluid braking means for a vehicle wheel including in combination a vaned brake element associated with the wheel or coaxial rotation therewith, a stationary vaned brake member, and means forming a substantially fiuidtight chamber enclosing the varies of said element and said member, said means having. a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet port therein.

5. A dual Wheeled assembly including in combination a pair of coaxial independently rotatable vehicle wheels, and uid brakes for said wheels, said brakes comprising a vaned element associated with each wheel for rotation therewith and' a vaned member held againstrotation, said vaned elements and vaned member forming a substantially fluid tight chamber enclosing the yanesof said elements and members.

6. A dual wheeled assembly including in combination a pair of coaxial independently rotatable vehicle wheels, and fluid brakes for said wheels, said brakes comprisinga vaned element associated with" each wheel for rotation therewith and a vaned member held against rotation, said vaned elements and vaned member forming a substantially uid tight chamber enclosing the vanes of said elements and members, said vaned member having ports for the entrance and exit of braking 7. A dual wheeled assembly including in com bination a paix' of coaxialindependently rotatable vehicle wheels, and fluid brakes for said wheels, said brakes comprising a vaned Velement asso, ciated with each wheel, for rotation therewith, a vaned member held against rotation, said vaned elements and vaned member forming a substantially fluid tight chamber enclosing the vanes of s'aid elements and member,said vaned member.

having ports for the entrance and exitof braking iiuid into and out of the vaned chamber, and means under the control of the vehicle operator for selectively admitting and restricting fluid to and from the vaned chamber.

8. Fluid braking means for a. set of `coaxial independently rotatable dual wheels including in combination a vanedelement-to rotate with ,each wheel, a vaned member held against rotation be- -for the wheels comprising a brake shoe for each tween said elements, said vaned elements and member forming a substantially'iuid tight cham,- ber enclosing the vanes of said elements and member, said vaned member having ports for the entrance and exit of braking fluid into and out of i the vaned chamber, and a circulating system for the uid interconnecting the exit and entrance ports comprising a fluid cooling means, a fluid reservoir, and a fluid control means for selectively admitting and restricting iiuidto and from the vaned chamber.

9. A. dual wheeled assembly including in combination a vehicle axle, a pair of wheels mounted for coaxial independent relative rotation on the end of the axle, an annular brake element associated with each wheel for coaxial rotation therewith, said elements each having a plurality of radially extending vanes, and an annular brake member anchored to the vehicle axle between said brake elements, saidbralte member having a plurality of radially extending vanes,

said brake elements and member forming a substantially fluid tight chamber enclosing the vanes.

10. Fluid braking means for a set of coaxial independently rotatable dual wheels including in combination a brake element for rotationwith each wheel said elements each having a plurality of vanes, a brake member held against rotation between said elements having a plurality of vanes adjacent the vanes of said elementsr the vanes of the brake element having apertures in their lower portions for the ow of iiuid therethrough,

the brake elements and the brake member form-- ing a substantially fluid tight chamber enclosing the vanes of the elements and member, the brake member having an inlet and an outlet port for the entrance and exit of duid to and from the chamber, and baie plate means interconnecting'the central portion of the vanes of the brake member and surrounding the outlet port whereby fluid circulating through the inlet port and out the outlet port is therebetween forced into the brake elements.

11. A dual wheeled assembly including in combination a pair of coaxial independently rotatable dual wheels, fluid brakes for said wheels comprising a vaned element associated with each wheel for rotation therewith and a vaned member held against rotation, said vaned elements and vaned member forming a substantially uid tight chamber enclosing the vanes of said ele ments and member, and auxiliary lfriction brakes vaned element held against rotation, said brake shoes each being frictionally engageable with an outer surface of their respective elements.

12. Braking means for a set of'coaxial independently rotatable dual wheels including in combination a vaned member held against rotation, a vaned element on either side of the vaned member each associated for rotation with a respective wheel, the vaned member and the vaned elements forming a substantially fiuid tight chamber having an inlet and outlet port therein, means for selectively admitting and restricting the entrance oi uid into the inlet port, a pair of friction brake members each held against rotationand axially movable into frictional engagement with an outer surface of a respective vaned element, and means for moving said friction brake elements into frictional engagement with their respective vaned elements.

13. Fluid brakes for vehicle wheels including in combination a' substantially uid tight braking chamber having rotatable and non-rotatable vanes therein, said chamber having an inlet and an outlet port for the entrance thereto and exit therefrom of braking fluid, and a fluid circulating system interconnecting the inlet and outlet ports, said system comprising a, fluid reservoir, means for selectively allowing and prohibiting fluid communication between the reservoir and the inlet port, means connecting the circulating system and the brake chamber with the atmosphere when said uid communication is prohibited, and means including vacuum means for 'exhausting air from and charging fluid into the brake chamber when said fluid communication is allowed.

14. Control means for a fluid brake having a substantially fluid tight chamber and fluid inlet and outlet ports therein, comprising iiuid circulating means connecting the inlet and outlet ports for fluid communication therebetwe'emand a fluid valve in the circulating means for selectively allowing and prohibiting fuid access to the inlet port, said valve including means for connecting the chamber and the circulating means with the atmosphere when fluid access is prohibited to the inlet port and means including vacuum means for exhausting air from and charging fluid into the chamber when fluid ac- 60 cess is allowed to the inlet port.

CHARLES S. ASH. 

